三位小眾設(shè)計師的喜與憂
British designer Olivia von Halle established her eponymous brand in 2011, focusing on luxury sleep and loungewear. Her most recent launch, the Missy, a chic silk-cashmere tracksuit, took two years to develop. The label is stocked in more than 100 retailers including Net-a-Porter and Bergdorf Goodman.
oliviavonhalle.com 英國設(shè)計師Olivia von Halle于2001年創(chuàng)建了專注于豪華睡衣與便服的同名品牌。她最新推出的系列the Missy是異常時尚的真絲羊絨運動套裝，前后耗費了其兩年心血。Olivia von Halle如今在包括Net-a-Porter與波道夫•古德曼(Bergdorf Goodman)在內(nèi)的100多家零售店發(fā)售。詳情請瀏覽oliviavonhalle.com。
Olivia von Halle We met about five years ago. I had bought one of Alessandra’s dresses on Net-a-Porter but the belt was missing so I called Alessandra’s studio and this frightfully glamorous-sounding Italian women answered and said: “Yes dahling, you must come and get it.” So I put on my coolest outfit and headed down to Mount Street. As I was walking there a seagull swooped down and tried to fly off with my hair in its mouth. Alessandra ran out, and tried to bat the seagull away with a file.
奧利維婭•哈莉(Olivia von Halle)：我倆結(jié)識于5年前，我在Net-a-Porter上買了件亞歷桑德拉的裙子，但腰帶卻不見了，于是我給亞歷桑德拉門店打電話，這位嗓音極富磁性的意大利女人接電話后說：“不過親愛的，您得自己來取。”于是我穿上最潮行頭直奔其門店所在地倫敦蒙特街(Mount Street)。走到那兒時，一只海鷗俯沖下來，想要叼走我的頭發(fā)。亞歷桑德拉從屋里沖出來，使勁用文件夾驅(qū)趕海鷗。
Alessandra Rich There is a seagull that attacks people on Mount Street. We called the council, but it’s a protected species. Anyway that’s how we met.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋(Alessandra Rich)：蒙特街上有只老愛襲擊行人的海鷗。我們曾給市府打過電話，但那是保護動物，不管咋說，我們倆就是這么結(jié)識的。
OVH It was a good icebreaker, and after that we became friends. And around the same time, my husband was working on a project with Jess . . .
奧利維婭•哈莉：這是算是良好的開端，我倆從此成了密友。與此同時，我丈夫也正好與杰西卡•麥科馬克(Jessica McCormack)合作……
Jessica McCormack . . . and he thought Olivia and I would get on. We are all friends, but our meetings are business focused, somewhere we can share ideas, or information, or say: “Hey does anyone know a showroom in Paris?”
杰西卡•麥科馬克：他覺得我與奧利維婭也會合得來。我們都是很要好的朋友，但我倆的會面只牽扯業(yè)務，有時我們能彼此互享理念或是信息，要么就問：“喂，誰熟悉巴黎的時裝展廳?”
AR Or sometimes we might set up a meeting to discuss something specific, such as social media.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：我們有時會面談具體事情、比如說社交媒體。
OVH We have a WhatsApp group and we are all non-competing luxury brands with women as the founders. We used to have more people in the group, but these days it’s mainly the three of us. We have also invited people to come and talk — like the head of innovation at Microsoft. There’s quite a little network of advisers, consultants and people who deal with smaller businesses, and we all go through similar HR issues. In terms of advice, the British Fashion Council look after a very particular type of brand — generally Central Saint Martins-trained womenswear designers — but we don’t fit that mould. It’s very supportive to you though, isn’t it, Alessandra?
奧利維婭•哈莉：我們建了個WhatsApp群，我們這幾個女人都是彼此沒有競爭關(guān)系的奢侈品牌創(chuàng)建者。這個群過去人更多，但如今主要就我們仨了。我們還邀請其他人參加討論——比如說微軟創(chuàng)新部負責人。我們還聘請了人數(shù)不多的顧問咨詢?nèi)藛T與處理小型業(yè)務的員工，我們的招聘流程都大同小異。說到建議，英國時裝協(xié)會(British Fashion Council)眷顧特殊人群————通常是中央圣馬丁藝術(shù)學院(Central Saint Martins)培養(yǎng)的女裝設(shè)計師————但我們不符合這個要求。不過時裝協(xié)會對你還是很支持的，對吧，亞歷桑德拉?
AR It is, but the fashion council would be more interested if I showed my collections in London. It organises interesting meetings though.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：一點沒錯，但我若在倫敦舉辦發(fā)布會，時裝協(xié)會會更有興趣。不過它組織的發(fā)布會都很不錯。
OVH None of us has any formal design training.
奧利維婭•哈莉：我們都沒受過科班訓練。
JM I didn’t train or study, and actually that means I haven’t encountered the barriers that say how you should do something, you just do it. I’m not saying we make it up as we go, but there’s that shared entrepreneurial spirit that relies a lot on intuition.
杰西卡•麥科馬克：我沒有培訓或是深造過，實際上這意味著自己沒遇到過那些規(guī)定你該做啥的條條框框，自己做啥完全隨心所欲。我不是說我們一路走來是糊弄，但創(chuàng)業(yè)精神很大程度上都仰仗于直覺。
OVH I think naivety is a huge advantage in setting up a business. 奧利維婭•哈莉：我認為天真對于創(chuàng)業(yè)而言是巨大優(yōu)勢。
JM Ignorance is bliss!
杰西卡•麥科馬克：無知最好!
OVH If you knew what was involved you would never do it. You need to go in with your eyes shut! That worked for me anyway.
奧利維婭•哈莉：若提前知曉會歷經(jīng)重重困難，可能就永遠不會為之。做啥事就得義無反顧!至少那樣做對我管用。
AR It’s also helped us to have our own niche, our own spaces.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：這種做法也有助于我們創(chuàng)建自己的小眾品牌，并闖出自己的一片天地。
JM I can’t compete with the big brands commercially, but I can put my own twist on fine jewellery, show people how to wear it. I’m motivated by encouraging women to wear diamonds in a more casual way. Everything I create I ask, can a woman wear this, when is she going to wear it?
杰西卡•麥科馬克：我們在銷售上難以與大品牌匹敵，但我可以憑借高檔首飾以及向消費者展示如何穿戴占據(jù)有利地位。我積極鼓勵女人以更休閑方式穿戴鉆石。設(shè)計啥我都會自問：女人適合穿戴嗎?她們啥時候穿戴?
AR It’s important for me that women find my dresses and designs wearable.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：我認為重要的是女性消費者覺得我設(shè)計的服裝和其他東西很耐穿。
JM The female element of our group is really important. We haven’t invited Roland Mouret to join, for example, even though he’s on Carlos Place, London [where the brands are based].
杰西卡•麥科馬克：我們這個群中的女性設(shè)計師元素至關(guān)重要。比方說，我沒有邀請羅蘭•穆雷(Roland Mouret)參加，即便他來自眾多時尚品牌門店云集的倫敦卡洛斯廣場(Carlos Place)。
AR It’s easier to be very honest and open with other women, you really can discuss everything, on a friendship level.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：與其他女性設(shè)計師在一起，彼此更容易開誠布公，與閨蜜可以無話不談。
OVH You have to hold it together at work, I mean, do you guys ever break down at work?
奧利維婭•哈莉：工作時必須精誠合作，我的意思是，我們彼此工作期間各自為政了嗎?
AR No!
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：沒有!
Brand profile: Alessandra Rich Alessandra Rich品牌簡介
Italian-born, London-based womenswear designer Alessandra Rich has a showroom in Mayfair and a studio in Italy. She launched her label for Spring/Summer 2010 during Paris Fashion Week. She is particularly known for long, lace dresses that offer a modern twist on overt femininity, and her garments have been worn by Samantha Cameron, Chloë Sevigny and Alexa Chung.
alessandrarich.com 出生于意大利的女裝設(shè)計師亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋在倫敦定居，目前在梅菲爾區(qū)開有門店，在意大利則設(shè)立了設(shè)計室。巴黎時裝2010年春夏周，她首次推出自己的時裝系列。她尤以設(shè)計具有現(xiàn)代鮮明女性風格的蕾絲長裙見長，她設(shè)計的時裝受到薩曼莎•卡梅倫(Samantha Cameron)、科洛•塞維尼(Chloë Sevigny)以及艾里珊•鐘(Alexa Chung)等名媛青睞。詳情請瀏覽alessandrarich.com。
OVH When it comes to opening up and talking about my business, which is something I am quite closed about, I feel more comfortable doing it with other women. I have experienced a certain amount of mansplaining by men. I never think of myself as different, but still, in every single meeting when the conversation turns to business, or when I’m trying to get more money from the bank, I have to remind myself, that I’m the CEO . . . My husband Hugo who is the finance director is very much “this is your brand, you are the CEO”.
奧利維婭•哈莉：說起創(chuàng)業(yè)與開拓業(yè)務，我已經(jīng)準備充分。我更愿意與其他女人合作干。我經(jīng)歷了不少“男人說教”(mansplaining，形容男人對女性喋喋不休解釋后者早已明了的事情)。我從沒覺得自己與眾不同，但每次會面聊及生意、或是想辦法從銀行貸更多款時，就得提醒自己是公司掌門……我老公雨果(Hugo)是財務總監(jiān)，他老說“這是你自己的品牌，你是老大”。
JM You read about the pay difference and the different treatment women get in the workplace, but I just assumed that I could do whatever I want. The diamond industry is very male dominated. I have heard people say: “Oh, she’s a girl, she won’t last five minutes”, but I wouldn’t let that impact me. For working mothers, like Olivia and I, it’s nice to have that support network, and be able to say I’ve got a problem with my nanny.
杰西卡•麥科馬克：諸位都知道女性在工作中薪酬與待遇與男性有差異，但我認為自己做啥事能做主。鉆石行業(yè)基本上由男人把控。我常聽到這樣的話：“哇，她是個女人，撐不了多久”。但我根本不以為然。對于我與奧利維婭這樣的職業(yè)媽媽來說，有家庭后盾支持是幸運的，可以說說最近與家里保姆鬧了點別扭之類的話題。
OVH I went back to work two months after having my son, just three or four hours a day. And it was great. For a lot of women that’s really shocking so I really appreciate having these two women who completely understand that I can’t just put my business on the back burner because I’ve had a baby. I have an opportunity at this time to create a future, and I have to capitalise on it. The fact that I am also of childbearing age and have to have my children now is neither here nor there, I’ve got to do both.
奧利維婭•哈莉：我生完兒子后兩個月就回來工作了，每天就干3、4個小時。這種感覺真是棒極了!很多女人會覺得難以置信，我真得很感激這兩位閨蜜完全理解我沒有因為有了孩子就把工作退居次要地位。此時此刻我有機會開創(chuàng)更廣闊天地，我必須充分利用好。我到了生兒育女的年齡以及必須養(yǎng)育孩子，這并不是非此即彼，我必須兩者兼顧。
JM I always say that my jewellery business is my first baby. I nurtured and grew it, you take your eyes off it for a minute and it’s being naughty. You aren’t going to let that go.
杰西卡•麥科馬克：我總說首飾店是我的第一個孩子。我撫育它慢慢成長，稍不留神，它就會出點狀況，所以自己就得時刻盯緊。
OVH This last year I have been really lucky in being able to choose how to make the business work for me. I don’t get in until 11, I try and leave at 5. I work in the evenings, but I have found it very free. The business has doubled in the past year. I was thinking this has been a crap year, let’s just get through it but actually it’s boomed.
奧利維婭•哈莉：就在去年，我有幸找到了適合自己的工作方式：上午11點上班，一直干到下午5點才回家。我晚上也工作，但我發(fā)現(xiàn)這非常自由。公司去年的銷售額翻了一倍，我當時覺得這一年肯定完蛋了，就湊伙著過吧，沒想到卻是個大豐收年。
JM We have had double-digit growth this year so even though I’m pregnant I think “don’t make me leave”, I just want to keep going.
杰西卡•麥科馬克：我們今年銷售額是兩位數(shù)增長，所以即便身懷六甲，我覺得“不能逼自己離開”，得繼續(xù)堅守陣地。
OVH When Brexit happened we were so worried about the future of the brand and how it would affect us. The pound bottoming out against the dollar had a huge immediate affect; outstanding debts to our supplier increased by 30 per cent and our products became 30 per cent more expensive for us to buy since we manufacture 95 per cent of our production in Shanghai and pay in dollars. The flipside was the UK became the cheapest place in the world to buy luxury goods and as our products became more affordable in other countries we saw a huge surge in export sales through our own e-commerce site, especially from the US; the US is now about to take over the UK with 38 per cent of all our e-commerce revenues coming from the US. Ultimately most of our customers are UHNWIs (ultra-high net worth individuals) who haven’t been affected by Brexit — if anything I think it has made them richer, so our sales have continued to grow worldwide and are set to double profits again this year and increase our turnover by 50 per cent. When you decide to set up a pyjama brand you don’t expect to be on xe.com every day checking currency changes.
奧利維婭•哈莉：英國脫歐(Brexit)后，我們對前景甚感憂慮，擔心脫歐洲會嚴重影響生意。英鎊兌美元的匯率跌至谷底后，影響巨大：我們欠供貨商的貨款漲了30%，我們的產(chǎn)品價格貴了30%，因為我們95%的產(chǎn)品在上海生產(chǎn)，而且都用美元支付。但另一方面，英國成了全球奢侈品售價最便宜的地方，而且隨著我們的產(chǎn)品在其它國家更趨便宜，我們自家網(wǎng)店的外銷額出現(xiàn)了大幅飚升，尤以美國消費者為甚。占公司網(wǎng)店全部銷售額38%的美國即將取代英國成為公司第一大市場。歸根到底，我們的消費者多為超高凈值人士(UHNWIs)——這些人并不受英國脫歐影響，真有影響的話，我認為英國脫歐反而讓他們的資產(chǎn)升值了，所以我們在全球的銷售額持續(xù)增長，今年有望實現(xiàn)利潤翻番，銷售額則增長50%。諸位如果決定創(chuàng)建一個睡衣品牌，每天盯著xe網(wǎng)站的實時匯率并不現(xiàn)實。
JM Our phone was ringing off the hook with our American clients placing orders, which was great!
杰西卡•麥科馬克：我的電話響了，這是美國客戶在下訂單。真是太好了!
AR We produce everything in Italy. We pay everybody in euros and sell in euros, so we haven’t experienced any changes.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：我們所有產(chǎn)品都在意大利生產(chǎn)，所以收支都用歐元結(jié)算，因此沒有任何變化。
OVH I have personal concerns about Brexit, and the safety of Europe, but I don’t really have business concerns. I started Olivia von Halle in September 2011, even though it was an absolute low point in the recession and I was selling a luxury product that no one needed, but I think a recession can be good for creativity. The positives of Brexit could be very exciting. If we were able to get a free-trade agreement so our customers didn’t have to pay really high taxes and duties when their goods landed it would make a big difference.
奧利維婭•哈莉：我個人對英國脫歐以及歐洲安全感到擔憂，但對公司業(yè)務沒啥擔心。我2011年9月創(chuàng)建了Olivia von Halle品牌，即便當時是經(jīng)濟衰退的最低谷，自己的奢侈品也無人問津，但我認為經(jīng)濟衰退于創(chuàng)新大有裨益。英國脫歐的好處多多：若英國能與其他國家簽訂自由貿(mào)易協(xié)定，進口對方國家產(chǎn)品時，我國消費者就不必再支付高額關(guān)稅與稅率，那影響該有多深遠!
JM Shipping to America is the worst. It’s so expensive.
杰西卡•麥科馬克：出口到美國最為糟糕，費用太貴了。
OVH If the US dropped its import duties that would be amazing. The Chinese are now big customers and seem to hold the spending power that the Russians and Middle Eastern customers did a few years ago. Our Russian and Middle Eastern customer base used to be huge but it’s reduced a lot . . .
奧利維婭•哈莉：如果美國降低進口稅，那就太好不過了。中國人如今是消費主力軍，購買力酷似幾年前的俄羅斯以及中東客戶。昔日的俄羅斯與中東消費群體很龐大，但如今已大幅縮減……
AR Because of the drop in oil prices. They have also started to pay taxes in Saudi Arabia . . . And then the rouble bottomed out. But you can’t worry about the future though, it’s impossible to second guess what will happen where.
亞歷桑德拉•瑞秋：原因是油價下跌。沙特消費者買東西也開始付稅了……盧布對美元的匯率也跌至了谷底。然而諸位無需擔心未來，因為無法猜測哪里后續(xù)會發(fā)生什么事。
OVH You don’t expect macroeconomics to affect a little brand like ours, but it does.
奧利維婭•哈莉：不要指望宏觀經(jīng)濟會影響我們這樣的小眾品牌，但它的確有影響。
Brand profile: Jessica McCormack Jessica McCormack品牌簡介
Jeweller Jessica McCormack grew up in New Zealand and in 2013 opened her Mayfair boutique, where she designs and oversees her creations. Her business partners are Rachel Slack, a member of the Oppenheimer family, and art collector and diamantaire Michael Rosenfeld. McCormack’s designs include Party Jackets, surrounds that make a simple ring more dramatic.
jessicamccormack.com 首飾設(shè)計師杰西卡•麥科馬克在新西蘭長大。2013年開設(shè)了倫敦梅菲爾精品店，在此設(shè)計與監(jiān)督旗下產(chǎn)品。她的商業(yè)合伙人有Oppenheimer鉆石家族成員Rachel Slack以及收藏家兼鉆石經(jīng)營巨擎邁克爾•羅森菲爾德(Michael Rosenfeld)。麥科馬克設(shè)計的首飾包括了Party Jackets，這種圍飾風格能讓簡簡單單一枚戒指變得楚楚動人。詳情請瀏覽jessicamccormack.com。
